A/n: Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter! I'm glad to know that yall are still reading this story!
We're back to the Titans in this chapter! But don't worry, Slade and Robin will be back in the next update.
With that, Enjoy!
Chapter 29
Wreckage
A heavy silence permeated the air as a few seconds ticked by.
Nobody moved.
Nobody blinked.
Raven resisted a yawn.
A bead of sweat dripped down Cyborg's face as he finished typing out the rest of the sentence. His hand hovered over the send button, scanning the typed words through for the millionth time. A head popped over his shoulder.
"DUDE, it's the League we're talking about here. We need to sound more professional-"
"What do you mean professional? I think it sounds pretty good."
"We can't send that!"
"And why not?"
A second head popped over his shoulder.
"Please friends, I do not understand. Why is Cyborg's writing not acceptable for the League of Justice?"
"Look at it Star! They're going to laugh at us – "
"I'd like to see you do a better job – "
"Pshhh I could do better with my eyes closed."
"What does that even mean, ya green bean– "
"STOP calling me that – "
"Then STOP acting – "
A dark energy snaked through the arguing boys and over to the keyboard. Before anyone could move, violet energy hammered down on the enter button, sending the message off into cyberspace. Cyborg and Beast Boy fell silent and both of their mouths dropped, slightly ajar. Slowly the pair turned as Raven lowered her hood. She shrugged.
"Someone had to send it."
Beast Boy immediately fell back onto the couch with a dramatic groan. "And there goes any chance of us ever being taken seriously."
Raven rolled her eyes. "It was fine Beast Boy."
Cyborg inhaled a breath and turned back to the computer, watching as the message passed all the necessary clearances to be transferred to the Watch Tower. Robin may have told them never to contact the League, but the boy had always made sure to keep a line of communication stored on the databases of the computer to reach out in case anything went drastically wrong. After a little bit of digging around, Cyborg had found the access channel easily.
"What do we do now?" Starfire asked, her brows furrowing as she stared at the screen.
"We wait," Raven responded as she walked over to the wall of windows and sat down. Within seconds she lifted off the ground, floating into the calm air.
"And see if anyone responds," Cyborg said while leaning back into the chair. Another few seconds ticked by in wordless silence as each of the Titans retreated to their own thoughts. The Tower had grown a lot quieter the past few days, and the robotic boy couldn't help but notice how the quietness had begun to seep into their conversations.
"What if they do not respond?" Starfire's quiet voice asked as she hovered over to Cyborg.
Raven opened her eyes from her brief meditation, reluctantly pulling herself from the depths of her mind.
"They will."
Cyborg opened his mouth to reply when a loud flash from the screen stopped him. The boy scrunched his face together as he ran the signal through the Titan's security measures. He glanced over at the alien girl with a light smile on his face.
"Well, that didn't take long."
Superman quickly walked into the room, sat down and opened the tiny screen, muttering to himself all the way. Diana could handle it for now. She was better at this whole forceful 'negotiation' strategy anyway.
Odd. This was odd…
The Titans had never contacted the Watchtower before. Ever since Robin had left Batman and started his own team, he'd heard little if anything at all from the boy. Sure, the League had kept tabs on the Titan's actions, but they did little to bother the group of teenagers. Robin had made it quite clear to Batman from day one that if anyone from the League tried to interfere with his new start in Jump, he wouldn't hesitate to expose some choice secrets about the community of superheroes.
Superman shook his head. No one had thought twice about speaking freely when a young and innocent looking Robin had hung around the Watchtower. Robin had picked up far too much knowledge of everyone – nothing too damaging, but the boy had overheard some embarrassing secrets which were enough to keep the Justice League off his back.
Not that Robin really needed blackmail. His contagious, optimistic personality and witty jokes had a special place within the League, and his decision to strike out on his own was understood and respected. No one wanted to cripple the boy of his newfound freedom as it would have been detrimental to the young teen. Even Batman had understood that much.
Superman's eyes scanned over the brief message the Titans had sent. It didn't say much, only that something had occurred in Jump that needed the League's attention. It had been quite professional actually – short, sweet and to the point. Any other day, the man would have been impressed by the team Robin had put together, but today all Superman felt was an overwhelming sense of unease.
Odd. Why would Robin want the League's help now? Why didn't he just ask Batman? Had the pair really parted on that bad of terms? Batman had mentioned the argument that caused Robin to leave briefly to Superman, but the Caped Crusader had been unsurprisingly reticent on the subject. Most people altogether avoided talking about Robin in his presence as it always caused the gloom and doom surrounding Batman to darken to an entirely new level.
Superman still tried to keep in touch with Robin when he could. The boy was like a nephew to him, and the older hero always tried to drop him a phone call when he could. When Robin had first left for Jump, Superman had been elected the one to contact him – to try to talk Robin down from the explosive argument with Batman. But like his mentor, Robin had been even more reticent about the dynamic duo's disagreement.
So, what exactly had caused such a disturbance in Jump that they needed the Leagues help? Robin was the last person he'd expect to ask the Justice League for assistance. The boy would at least try Batman first…wouldn't he? Could it simply be a terrible coincidence that the Titans had picked now to contact the League? Surely the villain that the teens were dealing with couldn't know that half the League was off-world trying to handle a diplomatic mess…
Something was up, and Superman didn't like it one bit.
The screen flickered on, and four pairs of eyes settled on him.
He nodded.
"Titans."
Superman didn't know what he had expected, but the silence that followed the greeting was disconcerting. From the little he knew of the group, Superman would have assumed they'd be loud, assertive and boisterous. The four teens in front of him however, were anything but energetic.
"Woah…"
The gasp of awe had come from the green changeling. Superman couldn't help but smile.
He recognized the faces as he scanned over the group. The League had been briefed on them all once a while back, but truthfully, they knew little to nothing about the group Robin had assembled. He watched as the green changeling and the robotic boy exchanged uncertain glances as if neither wanted to take the responsibility for speaking up first. The Tamaranean simply gazed at him with blazing green eyes, content with the silence.
"Superman."
The man's eyes swung over to a girl in a violet cloak. He scanned over her form as she nodded back to him, breaking the uneasy silence.
So, this was Raven. Of all the members of the group, the League knew the least about her. Dark. Brooding. Mysterious. Superman didn't quite know what to make of the empath. Her personality profile hadn't given much detail on her emotional state and little was known of the true extent of her powers. Dangerous. Robin trusted her, however, and that was proof enough of the girl's loyalty in Superman's mind even if others in the League had disagreed with him.
"Raven, isn't it?"
The girl nodded again.
Superman's eyes swung around the room as he suddenly realized who was missing. Alarm racketed through him as pieces in his mind began to click together.
Robin would never contact the League…
His eyes glanced between the four friends.
But his friends would if he were missing…
Don't jump to conclusions…Maybe he's just standing a little way out of the screen.
The hero cleared his throat, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the group of teens.
"Can't say I wasn't surprised to hear a message from the Titans had been transmitted to the Tower," Superman said with a relaxed smile as he tried to push away the awkward beginnings of the conversation. "They patched me through when I found out…"
The screen cracked with static as he held the smile on his face.
"So…uh, where's Robin?"
He had asked it lightly. It was an innocent question, and should have received an innocent response. But as Superman watched the teens hesitantly exchange glances, the man's heart dropped. He leaned forward in his chair, focusing in on the next words.
"That's uhh," Cyborg said as he adjusted himself in his chair. "What we wanted to talk about…"
Superman frowned, his fears confirmed.
Something was definitely up.
"And you're telling me Robin went after the Joker alone?
"'fraid so."
"And you haven't heard from Robin since?"
"No."
Cyborg resisted the urge to break eye contact from the superhero on the screen. Even though they were millions of miles away from each other, the boy felt as if Superman's laser vision could burn through the screen. The glare in the man's eyes dissipated as he leaned backwards in his chair. Static jumped across the screen.
Superman shook his head as seconds ticked by. "Catwoman. The Joker. Batman. I don't like the sound of any of this."
"Uhh and you think we do?" Beast Boy interjected. When the fierce, blue eyes swung over to him, though the boy yelped, morphing into a mouse and dropping onto Cyborg's shoulder.
"Please," Starfire began, shooting off the ground and drawing the attention away from Beast Boy. "We are concerned for our friend and thought perhaps you could offer your assistance."
Her green eyes shone brightly in the room, and their intensity radiated through the screen.
The man's blue eyes softened as he opened his mouth to respond.
"I know. It's just – "
A loud boom echoed through the screen, and the Titans watched as Superman suddenly whirled around. Shouting echoed from behind the man, and Superman whipped back around to face the screen as static cracked in the air.
"Listen I don't have much time. I may be needed in a moment."
Raven's eyes narrowed as she ghosted forward. "Where are you exactly, Superman?"
"Not on Earth," the man hastily replied as he stood up. "Called out to do some negotiations with another planet that's decided to pick a bone with humanity. Diana is handling it for now but – "
A second louder crash echoed from the speakers.
"We may be indisposed for a while," he said with a wince.
Beast Boy morphed back into his human form as he glanced around his teammates. "So, what does that mean?" the boy asked.
"Look I don't want word spreading around the League that Batman's missing. Not until I'm on Earth myself." Superman said as his eyes flickered behind him. "We don't want to alert every villain in Gotham to his disappearance – that's a recipe for disaster."
A heavy silence settled among the Titans as they realized the truth within the words.
"For all we know Catwoman could be lying, and Batman could be fine. Batman's been known to disappear from time to time," Superman said with a sigh. "The less people who know about this, the better. Don't worry about Robin. He can handle himself. Hopefully he'll be back in no time at all…."
"Yeah hopefully…" Cyborg muttered.
Superman stumbled back as smoke began to filter through the air. The dark, thick blanket began to cover the man's form, consuming the screen.
"Look, I'll be in touch."
"Superman?" Starfire hesitantly asked as the clouds of smoke grew stronger. A hint of concern bled through her lips.
"We'll get back to Earth as soon as possible. Don't worry Titans. Keep looking, you'll figure this out and th –"
Before the man could finish the sentence, the connection fizzled and popped, vanishing into nothing. A stillness fell over the group as the abrupt ending to the conversation zapped the words from everyone's mind.
"Dude…"
All eyes turned to the green changeling.
"We just talked to Superman…"
His voice grew louder.
"We just talked to Superman!"
Raven rolled her eyes, pulling the cloak up and around her head as the boy morphed into a dog and began sprinting around the room. The puppy zipped underneath her legs, looping up and around the couch and back again.
Starfire glanced at Raven, uncertain for the sudden excitement.
"Ignore him, Star. He's just fanboying."
"HEY – "
"Well I don't know how much help that was, but it's a start."
The group turned to look at Cyborg as he stood up from the computer. A long sigh echoed from the boy's lips as his eyes passed over his friends, and a weariness filled Cyborg's normally determined voice, causing his teammates to pause.
"But until the League gets back to Earth, we're still on our own."
Raven stepped forward. There was a determined light within her violet eyes. "So, we keep looking."
"Yeah, we can find him, guys," Beast Boy said as he appeared next to Raven. "We've done it before."
"And we can do it again," Starfire continued with a smile.
Cyborg nodded his head, but Raven noticed the slight hesitation that accompanied the movement. The robotic boy glanced between his friends and the computer screen, flickering uncertainly back and forth.
"What's wrong?"
"I just – " Cyborg began. "Where does Slade fit into all of this?" The mere mention of the criminal's name caused the room to seep into an eerie darkness. No one liked to be reminded of the threat that had been looming over their shoulders ever since the masked man had returned. "Does anyone else find it weird that he shows up and Robin disappeared again…"
Cyborg's words eroded through the teens.
"You don't think that….maybe…"
Raven closed her eyes as she felt the fear roll off from the older boy in a crushing wave.
"Maybe Robin never made it to the Joker..."
She opened her violet eyes, and finished Cyborg's sentence. "Maybe Slade got to him first."
The words hung in the air like a steel barrier that had risen up and around the group.
Cyborg could only nod.
"No…" Starfire's quiet voice broke through the stillness.
"No, I refuse to believe Slade has taken him again," the alien girl said as thick tears welled up in her eyes. She turned away as her feet hit the ground with a solid thud. Nobody moved as she spun around, her green eyes dull in the sullen room.
Starfire's voice quivered as she spoke.
For once, even the alien girl didn't believe the conviction in her own voice.
Silence settled around them like a fifth companion in the room. It hung just out of reach, an omnipotent and haunting burden that would linger over their shoulders until the Titans finally found their missing friend.
A low whistle filled the air.
"Well, what happened here?"
He had almost passed by this location without a second glance. Most warehouses around this part of Jump were on their last legs. However, it was the thin tendrils of dying smoke that had caught the boy's sharp eye. Whatever had happened here, must have happened recently. He immediately pulled out his communicator.
"Uhhh guys. I think I found something."
"Are you alright, Cyborg?"
"Yeah Star, I'm fine. I'm transmitting my coordinates now."
As Cyborg punched the buttons into the communicator, a sigh slipped through his lips. After the conversation this morning, the Titans had split up and went out to continue to search Jump. To say the team had been melancholy after he had voiced his thoughts, would be an understatement. Cyborg regretted saying anything in the first place. He didn't need to burden any of them with unfounded fears, but it had been something that had bothered the boy since Robin's disappearance.
Was it a coincidence that Slade just happened to show up when Robin disappeared?
None of the Titans knew the answer to that question.
A frown creased his face as he glanced back down at his communicator and realized how far out from the city's center he actually was. Cyborg scanned the ruins of the building around him. He was on the very outskirts of Jump city right now which would explain why no alarm had reached the Tower when whatever had happened here occurred.
He really should expand the security around Jump, but he hadn't even had the time to fix repairs on their own tower lately – much less the city. Cyborg sighed. Yet another item to add to the list. Between searching for Robin and keeping other villains under control, the Titans had been stretched thin. Even worse, there were whispers on the street regarding Robin's disappearance. Citizens were growing weary and the press had begun to question the noticeably missing Boy Wonder. So far, the Titans had managed to redirect any interview questions away from the subject, claiming their leader was investigating another matter in Jump.
Cyborg shook his head. It had only been a few days and already everyone was getting riled up about Robin's absence. It seemed even the criminals noticed. They were coming out of the woodwork now, and the Titans were having a hard time keeping up. The truth was without Robin, the group had a hard time feeling like a team. Robin somehow had always managed to keep everyone together and focused, yet content. He had always driven them to strive to do better, to fight relentlessly for justice, and to keep the citizens of Jump safe.
Without him…well Cyborg felt there was a gaping hole in the Titans – one that every criminal in Jump seemed to take notice of.
A breeze fluttered by him, and Cyborg glanced to his right as a figure cloaked in a dark purple materialized next to him. Cyborg couldn't help but smile at the girl's speed. Somehow Rae always managed to make it before anyone else – much to Beast Boy's chagrin. As if on cue a disgruntled groan reached his ears.
"Aww, come on Rae. How'd you beat me again?"
Beast Boy morphed from a hawk and landed on the ground next to Cyborg. When the boy's eyes finally settled on the scene around him, the complaints dried up on Beast Boy's lips.
"Woah."
"I know," Cyborg responded grimly.
"Friends I have arrived -" A horrified gasp ended Starfire's statement as she floated to the ground. "Who has caused this destruction?"
Cyborg shook his head. "I don't know, Star. We're too far out for any warning to have reached the tower. I can try to check the cameras around here, but I just don't know."
A sullen silence fell over the group as they gazed at the destruction around them.
"Split up, maybe we can find some clues," Cyborg said.
The group gradually broke a part, each spreading out over the surface area around them. Cyborg studied the remains with a sharp eye. The building had collapsed upon itself. Some sort of blast must have destroyed the structural integrity, causing it to break down from the inside. However, a small chunk of the building remained standing. He watched as Starfire flew to the very top and scanned the roof.
"Anything, Star?"
The alien girl lifted her hand, allowing the soft glow from a star bolt to wash over the area. She gently shook her head. The bolt flickered in her hand.
A buzzing filled Cyborg's ears, and he turned as Beast Boy morphed from a fly back into his human form. "The fire is down to a smolder over there," the young boy gestured to the collapsed side of the large building. "Whatever happened, didn't happen very long ago."
"Cyborg, why did the police not inform us of this?" Starfire asked from above them.
Cyborg shook his head as he pulled out a tablet from his utility belt. "There's only a bunch of abandoned warehouses from here until the city limits. Police aren't around here much." The boy began typing furiously into the data pad.
"Besides," Raven began as she hovered back over to the group. "It's not uncommon for warehouses to collapse."
"So, they probably didn't think it was worth our time," Beast Boy finished as he glanced around at the wreckage.
"What the police didn't realize however," Cyborg said, glancing up from the screen, "is that this wasn't an accident."
"I do not understand," Starfire started as she floated down to join the group, "how do you know this was not an accident?"
Cyborg shook his head. "It's what stopped me in the first place, Star. Look at the way the building fell. The whole front side is still standing and structurally sound and there are three long scorch marks on the back wall. Whoever blew this place up set an explosive from the inside and maybe a few along the perimeter. They didn't necessarily want to bring it down, just destroy whatever was inside of it."
"Which brings us to our next question, who did this?" Raven asked.
Cyborg let out a huff of frustration as he scanned the contents of his tablet. "Whoever did sure as heck didn't want us to find out. The security footage around here has been wiped."
"Uh guys."
The group turned to look towards Beast Boy.
"You don't think Robin was a part of this, do you?"
Cyborg shook his head, "I don't know B, but this is weird. Look," He gestured to the footage on his screen. "This is as close as I can get to the building. The rest is wiped clean."
Beast Boy popped his head between the group and squinted at the tablet. "You can't even see the building, Cyborg."
"Best I could do."
"Friends, I do not like this."
"This is everything from the past 48 hours." The team watched as the footage rewound itself in high speed. The buildings on the screen appeared to be motionless. In fact, Cyborg wouldn't have even known the footage was being rewound except for the occasional bird that flew by the camera.
"Stop."
The footage froze in place.
Raven pointed at the screen. "The smoke. Go back further."
Cyborg squinted, mirroring Beast Boy's action. Raven sure had some sharp eyes. The boy could barely – just barely – make out the tendrils of smoke rising into the air. A dark flash skirted across a building.
"What was that?" Cyborg muttered.
"Slow it down." Raven replied as she peered in further to the screen.
"You know," Beast Boy began. "We have a bigger screen back at the Tower. We could just-"
"Shhhhh," Raven hissed as she pressed her hand against Beast Boy's mouth. Whatever the boy had been about to say was lost in a muffled drown.
Cyborg paused the screen as the dark silhouette dashed across the skyline and was quickly followed by a second smaller shadowy figure. There was something vaguely familiar about the way the second one moved. The boy replayed the brief clip and watched as the smaller figure jumped and flipped off the building before disappearing into the distance.
"You don't think that's-"
"Robin," Starfire stated softly. Her hand pressed against the screen next to the frozen blur of a figure.
"You can't even tell what that is," Beast Boy exclaimed as he pointed at the spec on the device.
Raven shot a quick glare at the boy and moved to stand next to Starfire. "We don't know for sure." The empath placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder.
"All we know is that those two figures show up, and a few hours later this place goes up in flames," Cyborg said, "I don't know man, but something doesn't feel right."
Starfire's eyes dimmed in intensity as her feet floated to the ground.
"I do not like this."
"I know, Star," Cyborg said with a gentleness in his voice, "Neither do I. I don't know what's going on right now, but we have to keep looking. If that's Robin in the picture then he might be around here somewhere. We can't-" A loud beeping noise broke Cyborg off mid-sentence. He yanked out his communicator and couldn't help but growl in frustration.
"Trouble."
"H.I.V.E. Five," Beast Boy muttered to himself. "Don't they ever quit."
"No," Raven drawled pulling her hood up.
Cyborg put his communicator away. "But neither do we."
The group paused, hesitant as an empty silence surrounded them.
Cyborg glanced around at his team members, mustering the energy to continue to push the team forward.
"Titans Go!"
Beast Boy morphed into pterodactyl, swooping Cyborg up as he flew away. Raven lifted into the air, dark energy flowing around her form. As the girl lifted off the ground, she realized Starfire hadn't moved an inch.
"Starfire?"
The girl lifted her head at the voice, her vibrant, red hair like a wavy fire in the bright sunlight. A weak smile appeared on her face as she held her friend's steady gaze.
"Oh yes," Starfire began, "I am coming, Raven."
When the girl still made no move to fly, Raven landed on the ground beside her.
"Starfire?" Raven asked as she stared questioningly at the girl. The empath's eyes suddenly narrowed in realization. "It's your powers, isn't it?"
For a few moments, Starfire said nothing. With a sigh, she gazed up at Raven and for the first time since Robin had left, Raven realized how muted Starfire's eyes looked.
"My emotions…I am finding it harder to fly."
The alien girl seemed to shrink under the sheer weight of the words.
"Please do not tell the others," Starfire said in a low voice, "I do not wish to cause them alarm."
Raven paused for several moments as she took in the sight of her distraught teammate. The girl sighed as she reached out, grabbing Starfire's shoulder. "Hey, we'll find him, Starfire."
The alien girl's eyes shone green in the sunlight, but this wasn't a light of passion or strength. This was the light of tears that glimmered just beyond the surface of her blazing, green eyes. "I am unsure, Raven. If the League of Justice does not help us, how are we supposed to be victorious? And if Slade…"
Starfire trailed off, allowing the unspoken words to settle among the ruins.
Raven lowered her hood, blinking her violet eyes. A few seconds ticked by as the wind blew around the odd pair. The faint smell of smoke wafted towards them, but Raven ignored it and instead redoubled her efforts to fight through the haze hovering around her team member.
"Because he's our friend. And we don't give up on our friends."
The Tamaranean nodded, blinking rapidly and clearing the mist that had filled her eyes. A small spark shone through the depths of her fear. Raven extended her hand which Starfire hesitantly took.
"Come on," the empath said as she lifted into the air, carrying the alien princess behind her. However, as she flew into the air, Starfire's weight grew lighter and lighter. Raven blinked and suddenly the girl was alongside of her, soaring through the sky.
Only when the H.I.V.E. Five appeared on the horizon, did Starfire let go of Raven's hand.
A/n: Hope you didn't mind Superman's brief appearance. It was interesting to branch out and write the perspective of someone beyond the Titans. I hope I did his character justice *haha no pun intended*
Right, as I said, Slade and Robin will be back again next chapter and things will start picking up!
With that, hope everyone's week has been good so far! As always, let me know what you think.
Thanks for reading! Until next time!
